I got the opportunity to visit the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort during my time living abroad in Asia. Located on Lantau Island, Hong Kong Disneyland is a scaled-down version of Anaheim’s Disneyland Park, with three themed lands: Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and Adventureland.

My Hong Kong Disneyland visit began at the Metro station aboard a Disneyland train that had a direct stop at Hong Kong Disneyland. The train is decked out with Mickey-shaped handrails and windows and features small figures of Disney characters throughout the train. I loved the theming!

Upon exiting at the Disneyland Resort Station, Guests are greeted by a large archway with Mickey stretching out his arms in greeting. As you pass under, you can spot a large water fountain featuring Mickey surfing on top of the spout of a whale and Minnie playing with a sea lion.

We grabbed our tickets and entered the Entrance Plaza, which was decked out in Halloween décor (as I visited in October.) There are some similarities to its Anaheim counterpart, though the floral arrangement isn’t quite as elaborate.

Hong Kong Disneyland has a replica of Sleeping Beauty Castle at the far end of Main Street U.S.A. It’s hard to miss the gazebo that lies where I am accustomed to the Disneyland flagpole being. Lantau Peak loomed in the distance behind the castle, reminding me that I was not in Anaheim anymore.

Main Street U.S.A and Sleeping Beauty Castle

Our first stop was Adventureland, home to the Rivers of Adventure (known to us as The Jungle Cruise) and Tarzan’s treehouse. The treehouse lies in the middle of the Rivers of Adventure and requires Guests to take a ferry across. Guests have the option of selecting Jungle Cruise tours in English, Mandarin Chinese, or Cantonese. We selected the English tour and our tour guide was phenomenal – the jokes are as you would expect them to be in the States. We took the ferry to Tarzan’s Treehouse and explored while enjoying the sweeping views of the park.

Tarzan’s Treehouse & The Rivers of Adventure

Afterwards, we took in “Festival of the Lion King” – a stage spectacle based on the Lion King musical that is meant for a much smaller stage but is elaborately choreographed and the songs are beautifully performed.

Then we headed over to Tomorrowland, where we rode Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters. Space Mountain has not been updated to match with the Anaheim version, but the Buzz Lightyear ride is almost identical. We also went to Turtle Talk with Crush, which was made available in multiple languages as well.

Afterwards, we watched the parade and went to Mickey’s Philharmagic, a show featuring 3-D effects and a number of Disney characters. The show that is currently only available Walt Disney World and not at Disneyland.

Finally, we headed to Fantasyland – where you’ll find The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the Teacups ride, The Flying Dumbo Ride, among others. We also went into “Mickey’s Golden Dreams” – a musical revue show that awarded Disney films in categories a la the Academy Awards .

Mickey’s “Golden Dreams”

As the sun began to set, we ventured back out to Main Street to check out the snacks. I came across the snack cart, which offered buttered corn on the cob, hot dog, soya chicken legs, and deep fried pork buns – a far cry from the Red Wagon Corn Dog Cart! We also found Mickey Mouse mooncakes in honor of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.

When the Parks lit up for the night, we found a vantage point high above Main Street at the Main Street Station to watch the Fireworks show and to see the Halloween parade roll through.

Since my visit to the Park, The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort underwent an expansion to feature three new themed lands, including Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch, and Mystic Point – ready for completion by Spring 2013. The photo featured here is from my attendance at the 2009 D23 Expo, which showcased the plans for the Hong Kong Resort.

2009 D23 Expo Exhibit: Hong Kong Disney Expansion

For Disney fans, Hong Kong Disneyland is a must-see, if only to experience the Disney magic in a different country! I am excited to hear about the changes that have been made since my first visit and hope I get the opportunity to see it again.

This past Thursday, I attended a private performance of World of Color reserved for Disneyland Annual Passholders. The show, which was slated to begin at 11:45 p.m., featured the new “Glow with the Show” mouse ears: a black hat decorated with neon Mickeys and topped with white plastic ears. Visitors to the parks can purchase these mouse ears from select vendors throughout Disney California Adventure for approximately $23. They are designed to glow and interact with World of Color, The Mad T Party, and many attractions throughout the park — including Cars Land!

Glow with the Show mouse ears

The event began with each AP receiving their own ears. My friends and I waited in the queue line for our own mouse ears underneath Mickey’s Fun Wheel, eagerly waiting for the clock to strike 11pm so we could claim our complimentary ears and find our places for the start of the show. I have only seen World of Color in its entirety one other time and there have been several modifications to the show since, including one for the release of Disney/Pixar’s movie “Brave.” Since thousands of APs were wearing these glowing mouse ears for the evening and gathered together in one spot, I knew my friends and I were about to be part of a grand spectacle.

As the lights dimmed and the music began to play, every single pair of mouse ears began to glow and change color in synchronization with the scenes in World of Color. Everywhere you looked, glowing mouse ears and wide-eyed APs watched the World of Color show from a new perspective. It was absolutely stunning – you have to see it for yourself to truly appreciate it.

I really enjoyed this special Glow with the Show performance as there wasn’t an empty head to be seen during the performance. Together, as one unit, Annual Passholders gathered under the stars on a summer evening and enjoyed what will be a classic among Disney presentations. I’m excited to bring my Glow with the Showmouse ears back to the parks to see them interact with other attractions at Disney California Adventure.

Mouse ears turning red to coincide with the fire – so cool!

The best and most exciting part about the Glow with the Show ears is that they are available for all guests to buy — not just Annual Passholders. Though this particular event was for APs only, all guests are able to experience this gorgeous gala of glow at each showing of World of Color. This is a unique and awesome experience that is definitely worth witnessing and joining!

Disney California Adventure holds a special place in my heart. As luck would have it, one of my first jobs in college was as a show hostess and dough divider at the Boudin Bakery Tour on the Pacific Wharf when the park first opened in 2001. I’ve watched it grow and change over the past 11 years and one of the most exciting events that DCA offered was the Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival.

For years, I had heard of the Epcot Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World and wished that the Disneyland Resort would host a similar event to showcase California’s culinary landscape. It is no secret among my friends that I love food and it is a passion that I learned from my parents, who taught me to cook and enjoy putting together a great meal. As both of my parents’ birthdays happened to coincide with Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival, my brother and I decided to treat our parents to a wonderful afternoon at The Disneyland Resort – and it has become one of my favorite DCA memories.

Prior to this event, my parents had never set foot in Disney California Adventure. While my mother is well-versed in the ways of Disneyland, having taken me there when I was younger, it was priceless to see her face light up in awe at this new Disney park that she hadn’t experienced before. For those who have never attended, the Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival was a showcase of food, wine, and beer from California. Featuring celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, wine and beer walks, wine education events and special food offerings throughout the parks, the festival celebrated all things epicurean and DCA became the perfect showcase for it.

My dad was extremely excited to see Chef Robert Irvine of “Kitchen Impossible” fame perform a culinary demonstration in the Sunshine Plaza, and I couldn’t wait to try the food offerings. My family and I checked out the many educational wine walks that showcased California’s wine region, took a walking tour throughout DCA, and for the first time, I admired the Imagineers’ handiwork as I didn’t go on one single ride during this visit. This goes down in the books as one of the nicest Disney outings I’ve ever had – and I got to share that with my parents, the people who first introduced me to Disney.

With the exciting expansions happening at DCA (stay tuned for all the updates here!), there hasn’t been an opportunity for more Disney California Food and Wine Festivals, but hopefully in the near future we’ll see them again!

On May 14, 2012, I attended the first of four Annual Passholder (AP) events celebrating the 20th anniversary of Fantasmic! – Disneyland’s pyrotechnic and water show on the Rivers of America. The event began at 10 p.m., with a special performance of Fantasmic! slated for 11:30 p.m. When I saw the announcement, I was ecstatic – out of all the Disney Parks I’ve been to and all the shows I’ve seen around the world, Fantasmic! is still my favorite Disney performance. It is not often I get to attend the exclusive Passholder events, so I invited three friends to join me and RSVP’d right away.

For anyone interested in the registration process, APs received an email about the event with instructions on how to RSVP. I had to select from four available dates (May 14, May 15, May 21, May 22) at the Main Entrance ticket booths a week prior to the event and then received a voucher good for me and three AP friends to attend. On my selected day, I brought my voucher & three guests to the ticket booth, showed our annual passes to the Cast Member and received bright yellow wristbands for all of us, indicating we were allowed to stay in the parks past Disneyland’s 10 p.m. closing time for the Fantasmic! event.

My friends and I meandered through Disneyland, enjoying Fantasyland and Tomorrowland attractions before the park’s closing. Then we headed to New Orleans Square for dinner. There were so many special event foods available for our choosing, such as “Berry Brownie Skewers” at Bengal Barbecue, “Bacon Mac and Cheese” hot dogs at the Harbor Gallery, and a “Fantasmic” cupcake from the French Market.

We decided to take advantage of some of the special event offerings at The French Market in New Orleans Square. Two of us chose the popcorn shrimp plate, which came with a side of refreshing coleslaw and a giant pile of grapes. My other friends opted for the French Dip sandwich, which came with a side of N’awlins chips and grapes as well. For dessert, we headed over to the churro cart in New Orleans Square to grab some churros with spicy chocolate sauce. The churros were served bite-sized and the chocolate sauce was warm, gooey, and a delicious alternative to the usual stuffed churros I’ve had for special events. Later in the evening, my friend Andy decided to top off his meal with a chili cheese corn dog from the Stage Door Café.

During the event, which ended at 1 a.m., Guests had access to Frontierland, Adventureland, and New Orleans Square, which was decked out with banners and giant Mickey-shaped lights that touted “Fantasmic! 20thAnniversary.” Music entertainment featuring Disney classics performed by pop stars blared over the loud speakers prior to the Fantasmic! performance. Four attractions (Indiana Jones, The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Jungle Cruise) remained open for Guests’ enjoyment. As 11:30 p.m. neared, my friends and I found an open spot near the Harbor Gallery on the steps and waited for the show to begin. A nearby Cast Member told us that people had started camping out for seats as early as 5:30 p.m., with most APs settling into their seats by 7:30 p.m. We were fortunate to find standing room and still had a good view of the Rivers of America.

The performance opened on the water screen with video clips from 1992, featuring newsreels and video clips about the creation of Fantasmic! and the premiere of the show. We saw interviews with the producers and rave reviews from patrons who saw the show for the first time. The video paid homage to the creators of the show and ended with the names of everyone responsible for Fantasmic! As the lights dimmed, a hush fell on the crowd as the show began. Fantasmic! may be 20 years old, but it’s still one of the most fun, innovative, and entertaining shows that I’ve ever seen.

As an Annual Passholder, I highly recommend taking advantage of these special Passholder events. If you do not receive emails about the events, you can log on to your Passholder profile at the Disneyland website and view announcements and special offers. While the Fantasmic! event is quite late for APs with little ones, there are many opportunities to experience Disney in a whole new way, alongside Disney fans like yourself.

About the Author: Vy T. is a travel industry PR specialist and Disneyland Annual Passholder based out of Orange County.

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Babes In Disneyland combines the best of everything the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney Company has to offer families with young children and Disney fans alike, in addition to providing reviews and information on the latest travel products, Southern California destinations and lodging options and much more for families.